The Pistons and Cavaliers will meet for Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semfinals on Sunday to determine who will take on the Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals. New York took care of the 76ers via sweep in the second round, but the Detroit-Cleveland series has gone the distance after the Pistons’ impressive road win on Friday.
Before Friday, the Cavs hadn't lost at home this postseason as they looked to close out the Pistons following their overtime thriller in Game 5. After Detroit came back from a 3–1 hole to eliminate the Magic in Round 1, the Pistons found themselves in a similar spot—with their backs against the wall and needing a win to keep a magical season alive.
Detroit has had its share of struggles. All-Star big man Jalen Duren has largely disappointed and superstar guard Cade Cunningham stacked up turnovers as the number of self-inflicted wounds rose for the collective group. That said, despite the turnovers, Cunningham still has been one of the NBA’s best players this postseason. His 30.0 points per game heading into Friday’s Game 6 were more than any other player in the league, even Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. However, Cunningham's supporting cast has disappeared at times, and if not for Tobias Harris, the Pistons might have already been eliminated from this series.
A switch flipped when the Pistons needed it most on Friday, as they got 48 points off the bench and a strong game from Duren. With Cunningham’s 21 points, the Pistons were able to keep Cavs stars Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and Evan Mobley relatively in check to force a Game 7.
Following the acquisition of Harden at the trade deadline, Cleveland still has high hopes going into Game 7. The Mitchell-Harden duo has put up 47.1 points per game so far in the playoffs.
Both the Cavs and Pistons had to survive a Game 7 at home in the first round. Each side has been here before, and here's what each team must do to emerge victorious in Sunday’s win-or-go-home game:
Pistons: Cunningham’s supporting cast must show up once again
The question surrounding this iteration of the Pistons has remained the same throughout their impressive season: Where will the offense come from beyond Cunningham? Duren provided that in the regular season, averaging 19.5 points per game, but he has struggled for much of the playoffs. He bounced back with a fine night in Game 6 (15 points and 11 rebounds), while Tobias Harris, who has brought secondary scoring as Duren’s production has declined, wasn’t able to get it going. Harris had just six points Friday, a big drop-off after he averaged 16.2 points per night previously in the series and put up 21.6 points per game in the first round.
Harris’s off night would’ve drastically hurt the Pistons if not for their bench stepping up and producing. Paul Reed has been great all postseason in limited minutes and provided 17 points and six rebounds in just 16 minutes in Game 6. Duncan Robinson came off the bench after he missed Game 5 with a back injury and scored 14 points, draining four three-pointers. Marcus Sasser and Caris LeVert made big shots, too, as Detroit’s bench outscored Cleveland’s 48–19.
The Pistons don’t get that level of production every night, as Cunningham usually takes charge of generating buckets. The prowess of his running mates is a big question Detroit must address in the offseason, but for now, Game 6 showed how important it is to have Robinson out there to space the floor and other Pistons knocking down shots. We’ll see if the likes of Daniss Jenkins, LeVert and Robinson can hit big shots in Game 7 in what is a huge swing factor for Detroit.
Cavaliers: Need to cut down on turnovers and compete with the Pistons in the paint
The Cavs struggled with turnovers in the first half of Game 5, but they cleaned it up in the second half and claimed first road win of the playoffs. In the Game 6 loss, Cleveland turned the ball over 20 times and allowed 28 Pistons points off those turnovers. Detroit wasn’t perfect, either, as it had 18 turnovers, but it conceded just 17 points from those mistakes.
Harden in particular struggled with the defensive pressure from Ausar Thompson and the Pistons, as Cleveland’s star guard had eight turnovers to just four assists on Friday. Harden had four steals on the defensive end to help his cause, but he needs to be more reliable with the ball in his hands in Game 7, as the Pistons excel at turning loose balls into quick points.
Additionally, Detroit scored 48 points in the paints Friday compared to Cleveland's 26. The Pistons averaged the most points in the paint across the NBA this season with 57.9 per night, so that's their identity. It won’t be easy for the Cavs to keep up, but they need to at least trim the deficit behind the frontcourt duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
Cleveland’s big men were a combined 5-of-7 in the paint on Friday. That's an efficient rate, but Allen and Mobley need to force the issue to get more looks near the hoop. In Game 5, Detroit still won the paint battle, but the duo combined for 14 shots (and nine makes) near the rim in what was only a 10-point deficit in the paint. The Cavs can't change the Pistons' identity, but they can trim the advantage the Pistons inherently have.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cavaliers or Pistons in Game 7? The X-Factors That Will Determine Who Advances to the Eastern Finals.
